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OP-ED: Towards a More Inclusive Society

I lost my leg to bone cancer when I was 12. For the past 30 years, I have worked as a disability rights advocate to ensure that people with disabilities are valued equally and can participate fully in our society. I recall standing in the Rose Garden on that hot July day in 1990, feeling excited and hopeful, watching President George H.W. Bush sign the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ADA affirmed that the exclusion and segregation of people with disabilities is discrimination. The ADA acknowledged that injustices faced by people with disabilities are understood as the result of our society’s collective attitudes and prejudices and not as a consequence of a person’s physical or mental condition.

Today, we take for granted the foundational changes ushered in by the ADA. From curb cuts in sidewalks to braille on ATMs, we have witnessed the widespread removal of physical barriers that impede opportunities for people with disabilities. We have also begun to address barriers facing people with invisible disabilities, such as depression, diabetes, and dyslexia, through the cultivation of flexible employment policies, improved health care access, and a more inclusive education system. Today, people with disabilities lead more productive lives and contribute to the economic growth of our nation. In fact, studies show that corporations with more inclusive disability policies produce greater than average returns to their shareholders. Certainly, there is more work to do, but we have made great strides.

The ADA passed with strong bipartisan congressional support. In fact, many republicans championed passage of the ADA, including then Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. However, this historically bipartisan approach to disability rights law is eroding. The current federal administration has reversed course and announced plans that would roll back 30 years of federal protections and civil rights gains:

The American Health Care Act , or AHCA, as passed by the House, would threaten basic healthcare access for people with disabilities. The AHCA would slash long-term care supports and cut healthcare insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as childhood cancer. In addition, a little-noticed provision would allow states to stop recognizing schools as Medicaid providers. Schools would lose $4 billion of Medicaid-funded special education programs.

Proposed changes in the financing of Medicaid — a cost shift to the states — would result in the substantial reduction of personal care attendants and other home and community-based services to nearly 15 million people with disabilities. These losses would jeopardize independent living and home-based care for millions of people.

Paul Ryan’s “A Better Way” plan would eliminate social security benefits for 1.2 million children with disabilities.

Funding for the ADA enforcement division at the US Department of Justice is being gutted, despite the fact that complaints of disability-based job discrimination have hit an all-time high and housing discrimination complaints based on disability are being reported at more than double the rate of those based on race, sex or any other protected class.

These proposals threaten the health, education and economic security of Americans with disabilities. They deny people with disabilities their fair chance to pursue the American dream.

We are at a critical turning point for the disability rights movement. The time has come for our community to oppose these harmful policy and program proposals. We must strengthen our cross-disability coalition to fight this massive challenge. We must engage with our business community to better communicate how disability rights are a cornerstone of corporate responsibility. We must ensure that people with disabilities and their families and friends are registered to vote. We must work together as a team, and collaborate with supporters from every political perspective.

I believe that people with disabilities have the right to equal opportunity, to live independently in their communities, to be economically self-sufficient, and to have access to quality, comprehensive and affordable health care. As the new board chairman of the American Association of People with Disabilities, a national cross-disability civil rights and public policy organization, I encourage every American to join this fight. The time to act is now.